Wilkinson on 'perfect' job, Wales passion and play-off clash

Wales coach looks ahead to Albania tie and reveals her most cherished Women's World Cup memories.

Wales aiming to qualify for Women's World Cup for first time

They will face Albania in Round 1 of European play-offs

Coach Rhian Wilkinson speaks exclusively to FIFA

Rhian Wilkinson may be a Canada national team legend, but her devotion to the Welsh cause is absolute.

“It’s a country I genuinely have so much love for,” she tells FIFA .

It is a country which has developed quite an affection for her too. Born in Canada to a Welsh mother and English father, Wilkinson represented the nation of her birth as a player, winning 183 caps over an exceptional 14-year international career.

After making a successful transition to coaching, she was appointed Wales boss in 2024, and the following year led the team to their first major tournament at the UEFA Women’s EURO.

“For me, it continues to be the perfect job,” says Wilkinson. “I'm grateful they've welcomed me and made me feel like such a part of their family – that Welsh family – even with an accent like I have!”

Wales now have their sights set on a maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup™ qualification. Wilkinson’s side are primed to compete in Round 1 of the UEFA play-offs, where they will take on Albania over two legs on 9 and 13 October.

They represent familiar opponents. Wales beat Albania twice during the qualifying league phase – 1-0 away and 4-0 at home – but Wilkinson saw enough during those games to be wary of the challenge ahead.

“If you mentally switch off for a second, they will hurt you and they have hurt us. They were probably unlucky not to get something in the game which we narrowly won. They're a very proud nation and there's some real talent on that team.”

Wilkinson has been unable to select a full-strength squad for the tie, with influential Liverpool midfielder Ceri Holland one of several experienced players absent through injury. The Wales coach, though, is buoyed by the depth of quality she can now call upon.

“We've done a good job across our youth pathways in making sure our young players have had experiences at older age levels, including with the senior team,” explains the 44-year-old. “So, when we do have a lot of injuries – which we do have and it is disappointing – equally it's exciting because an emerging talent can arrive and surprise everyone. I'm really looking forward to seeing who that's going to be.”

If Wales overcome Albania, they will face Romania or Norway in the next round. Victory in that tie would guarantee a Women’s World Cup berth if they are one of the seven highest-ranked nations from the league phase of qualifying.

The Norwegians, of course, are hot favourites to beat Romania and would pose a formidable test for Wilkinson’s side. But the Wales boss is not putting any limits on her players.

“It's about my team,” she says. “Obviously, we take the opposition into consideration, and they have their superstars and their world rankings. But nothing matters other than the challenge in front of us on the pitch and our performances.

“I try to keep it that black and white. The exposure of some of these top players [from high-ranking nations] is because of where they happen to be from and the club teams they play for. I happen to believe there are a lot of Welsh players that don't get the recognition they deserve. It's great that some of our players are now at the biggest clubs in the world, because they play with those players day in and day out. You recognise and realise that, of course, they're good players. I'm not disrespecting them. But they're not light years away from where we are.

“When we perform and when we come together, I think on our day we can compete with any country in the world. I truly believe that.”

As a player, Wilkinson’s enduring excellence and elite professionalism were underlined by the fact she graced four Women’s World Cups. Asked to highlight her fondest memories from competing at the tournament, Wilkinson returns to her first steps on the global stage at USA 2003.

Aged 21 at the time, she helped Canada to fourth place, which remains their best-ever Women’s World Cup result.

“That was a very young team that also had some incredible experience,” says Wilkinson. “I was a full-time student. A lot of the women on the team had other jobs. But we showed up. We beat China, who were top three in the world.

“I was used as almost a ‘chaos’ player. I just ran around and tried to tackle people! Because I was so young, I was fearless.”

Wilkinson is now intent on returning to the Women’s World Cup as a coach. Qualifying, she says, would signal another huge leap in the sport’s evolution in Wales.

“I went to visit an Under-13s team last week,” she explains. “They’d never had a girls’ team before, but when they opened it up for the first time it was filled with girls wanting to play football.

“Those young people do not know a time when the Welsh senior women’s team haven't qualified for major tournaments. We've done it now [at the EURO]. The World Cup is the next step, and it will be a very challenging hurdle to get over. We're not naive to that, but hope is a powerful thing. Belief is a powerful thing. And why not?

“These young people should always, and will always, have the mentality now that Wales goes to major tournaments. We've got a lot of work to do, but that's the ambition, and this is the new challenge ahead of us.”

Wilkinson accepted the Wales job two years ago because she “wanted to take on a role I felt really passionate about”. That depth of feeling is apparent as she sets out her roadmap for the future – and enthusiastically extols the virtues of the nation and its people.

“I am Canadian, but I always came back to Wales. My grandparents were here and I have other family too. My aunt turns 100 during the second play-off window, if we get there, and on game day! So, I'm going to have to try to balance that.

“Wales is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and thankfully not too many people know about it, so it's quite a hidden gem. It’s an incredible place with lovely people.

“It's a comfort for me. It's where I come to recover when I've had hard times, but equally it's where I come when I'm in a good place. It’s the blanket that I've searched for.”